You know those annoying times when you smell something,
whether good or bad, but you can’t quite find the source. That’s how
I feel about Fillet of Murder. The
book just didn’t quite work for me, but I’m at a loss to completely figure out
why.

This book introduces us to Talia Marby, who has moved back
to her small home town in Massachusetts after quitting a job she hated and
dumping her fiancée. Until she figures out what her next step is,
she’s gone back to work for her good friends Bea and Howie at Lambert’s Fish
& Chips, their fish and chips restaurant. Since Howie is out
sick right now, Bea really needs the help and is thrilled that Talia is there.

However, there is trouble in the small shopping center where
Lambert’s is located. A comic book store wants to move in, and Phil
Turnbull, who owns the classic lamp store across the courtyard from Lambert’s,
is pressuring everyone to keep it out. After an especially hostile
encounter, Talia and Bea find Phil’s dead body in the back of his
store. With the police looking at Bea, can Talia find the evidence
to clear her friend?

The book started out well with plenty of conflict and the
murder happening fairly quickly in the story. We get plenty of
suspects, and things are advancing well. And then we hit a section
that seems to stall out the story. I now get what the author was
trying to do, but it felt like it slowed things down and left me anxious to get
back to the mystery. The climax was logical and suspenseful and
wrapped up all the mystery related loose ends well, although a few things are
thrown at us in the last few pages out of nowhere.

Meanwhile, I had a hard time connecting to the
characters. They were good characters, but they just didn’t feel
fully formed to me. Only near the end of the book did I feel like
that was changing, but by that point the story was over.

There are two recipes at the end of the book, one for
coleslaw and one for deep fried pickles. I must say, those pickles
sure did sound good over the course of the book.

Many people seemed to love this book when it came out, which
is why I decided to read it. I’m not sure what I was missing, but Fillet of Murderunfortunately didn’t
live up to my expectations. It’s not
that the book is bad, but it needed a little more work to iron out some issues.

NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in hopes that I would
read and review it.

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I'm an accountant by trade but a reviewer at heart. Top reviewer at Amazon. Love to read, watch TV and movies, and listen to music. And I'm always looking to share and discuss what I am currently consuming.

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